What started as an online chat ended with a mother’s worst fear.
A 17-year-old schoolgirl from Nairobi disappeared last month after connecting with a man on the dating app Tinder. She was later found at a hotel in the Westlands district with a 26-year-old South African national, who is now under arrest.
Bradley Zwane, who had been staying at a luxury hotel, was taken into custody by police after a swift investigation led them to the scene. Inside his room, officers discovered five Kenyan passports — four brand new, and one showing recent travel stamps from South Africa and Russia. Several used condoms were also found, police sources confirmed.
The girl’s mother said she was gripped with fear after her daughter failed to return home.
“I didn’t sleep the whole night,” she said in an interview. “By early morning I was at her school, only to find out from her friend they’d gone somewhere together. That’s when I called the police.”
According to investigators, the teenager had joined Tinder just days before her disappearance, encouraged by a classmate. Her match with Zwane quickly turned into private conversations, and eventually, a secret meeting.
Police say Zwane claimed he believed the girl was an adult.
“She told me she was 18. That’s what her Tinder profile said,” Zwane reportedly told officers. “She even said her birthday was yesterday and that she’d finished high school.”
When asked why he didn’t verify her age, Zwane responded:
“I asked for her ID. She laughed and said it was a four. I didn’t think she was lying.”
Authorities are now examining Zwane’s links to what he described as an international betting company. He claimed the passports found in his room did not belong to him.
“They’re from my manager. He travelled to Europe and left them with me,” he told police.
But detectives say the discovery has raised new questions — particularly around possible trafficking or identity fraud. No official charges related to those passports have been filed yet.
Zwane is currently being held at Kibra Police Station. He faces charges including defilement, a serious offence under Kenyan law involving a minor.
The case has sparked outrage and renewed debate over online safety for minors, especially on platforms like Tinder, which require users to be 18 or older. It’s also raised concerns about hotel security and how a teenager was able to check in with an adult man without showing ID.
So far, Tinder’s parent company has not released a statement.
The girl’s mother, visibly shaken, says she is grateful her daughter was found in time.
“That man even called me. I begged him, ‘Please don’t ruin my daughter’s life.’ She’s only 17. What if something worse had happened?”
Police are urging parents to talk openly with their children about the risks of meeting strangers online.
The investigation is ongoing.
